


Heroes

by TheLostMaximoff



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:57:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9377612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLostMaximoff/pseuds/TheLostMaximoff
Summary: Sometimes a hero isn’t the person that saves you, but it’s the one who helps you save yourself.





	

Cisco Ramon squinted and peered through a magnifying glass. He held a soldering iron in one hand and one of Caitlin’s power inhibitors in the other. He adjusted the magnification and then went to work on the inhibitor. Caitlin had been nervous about the inhibitors as a viable solution to her problem and had asked Cisco to take a look at them. Cisco realized that there was definitely room for improvement. He had cobbled the inhibitors together as prototypes but never expected they would see this much use in their current form. He hated that he had to use Caitlin as his test subject. He hated that she even had to worry about becoming Killer Frost in the first place.

Caitlin sat on a stool in his workshop, not wanting to disturb him while he was in the middle of such delicate work. She was thankful for the reprieve from wearing her inhibitors even if it would only last a few moments. She rubbed her wrists and nervously tried to find something to take her mind off things. She had so much on her mind lately and none of it was healthy. She wanted to believe that everything would work out in the end but she wasn’t so sure. Savitar’s prophecy echoed in her head and it left her contemplating the worst-case scenarios. She was a doctor, after all, and doctors always prepared themselves for the worst.

“This shouldn’t take long,” promised Cisco, not looking up from his work.

“Take as much time as you need,” said Caitlin.

Cisco only nodded. He knew that she was apprehensive about not having the inhibitors. It was written all over her body language. He wished that she could have more confidence in herself. She used to and he loved seeing her that way. Life had taken its toll on her though. It had beaten her down to the point where she was unsure of everything. He still believed in her though. He knew that she was stronger than she gave herself credit. He had seen her recover from so much trauma but the cracks were becoming noticeable now. He sometimes worried that he was going to be a witness to her completely shattering. He tried not to think about it.

Caitlin rubbed her wrists again and her gaze rested on the equipment Cisco used for his Vibe suit. She was proud of him for trying to become the hero he always wanted to be. She never wanted that for herself though. She always wanted to live a quiet life, settling down with Ronnie in a house in the suburbs somewhere. Even after all the craziness with the particle accelerator and losing her husband, Caitlin still wanted a normal life. Barry and Cisco were meant to be heroes. She never felt like she was meant to be anything more than what she already was. These days, being a normal scientist or doctor would have been a blessing instead of whatever she was now.

“You good?” asked Cisco as he continued his work.

“I’ll be fine,” promised Caitlin.

Cisco wished that he had put more time into the first build of the inhibitors. He wished that Caitlin had told him sooner what was going on. He wished that she could see herself the way that he saw her. He admired her for her courage even in the face of such overwhelming adversity. He knew what self-doubt could do to someone. He also knew how scary it was to find out that you were something more than human. He never saw her as anything less than a hero because she chose to continue being the person she was despite her past. She deserved to be out there with Barry and with him. She was more kindhearted than any of them. It wasn’t fair for the universe to punish her for it instead of rewarding her.

Caitlin sometimes wondered what the world would be like if the particle accelerator had never exploded. She wondered the same thing about the singularity and about Flashpoint. Life was an endless series of choices and those choices had consequences. She found herself hoping that someone would come and save her from her misery. A girl could use a hero every now and then, after all. She looked at Cisco and smiled even though he couldn’t see it. She used to think that Barry was her hero. It was easy to feel that way given all the good she had seen him do and the lives that he had saved. These days, she wasn’t sure if she held Barry in the high regard that she once did. She still counted him as a friend, of course, but she didn’t hero-worship him the way she had before. His selfish decision had tarnished her view of him. She was thankful that she still had Cisco though. He hadn’t let her down even once in all the time that she had known him. She could always count on him to save her when she needed it.

“Almost done,” said Cisco and Caitlin noticed he had already moved on to the second inhibitor.

“All good here,” she informed him.

Cisco tried not to hurry through the job because he knew how important it was. There were times lately when he thought about helping Caitlin control her powers. She had given him confidence in his powers and he wanted to help her do the same. A hero didn’t just save people from danger. He had seen Barry do that plenty of times, but he knew there was more to it than that. Caitlin had shown him that a real hero gave people the ability to save themselves. He wanted her to know that because she needed it now more than ever. He wanted her to know that she was still beautiful even when she thought she wasn’t.

“Done,” said Cisco after a few more moments. “Everything’s good to go. I even upgraded some of the circuitry so it would be more effective.”

“Thank you,” said Caitlin, taking the inhibitors and putting them back on. Her gaze flicked back to his Vibe equipment. "I’m really proud of you, Cisco. I think being a hero really suits you.“

"I could make you a costume too,” he offered. "You deserve one.“

"I … I don’t really think I’m cut out to be a hero,” admitted Caitlin, her eyes downcast. "I’m not really the type for that.“

"You’ve always been my hero, Caitlin.”

“Do you really mean that?” Caitlin turned her gaze up to look at him and managed to smile.

“Of course I do,” he answered. "I know you think you’re a monster or you’re evil, Caitlin, but the truth is that you’re the exact opposite. After everything you’ve been through, you still do everything you can to help all of us. That makes you a hero to me.“

"You’re my hero too,” said Caitlin, standing up from her stool. “Thanks for always believing in me. It means the world to me.”

“You do the same for me.” Cisco vaguely realized how close they were at this point and he wondered when that had occurred.

Caitlin had similar thoughts but they were drowned out by more pressing concerns. She was more interested in the look in Cisco’s eyes. She wished that she saw herself through his eyes because he saw so much good in her. Maybe if he was her hero then he deserved something in return for all the times he was there to catch her when she fell. She thought about it for only a microsecond longer and then she kissed him. She felt him kiss her back and it felt amazing. He always made her feel like she could do anything and she knew that she made him feel the same way. Maybe they deserved each other in the end, not because they saved each other’s lives but rather because they helped each other save themselves.


End file.
